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Francoise Hollande tells Theresa May Britain should welcome children from the 'Jungle'

French president told Theresa May Britain must take on its share of responsibility in taking in minors from demolished 'Jungle'. Photo: Reuters

French President Francois Hollande has told Prime Minister Theresa May that the British should take on their share of responsibility and welcome children from the demolished 'Jungle' camp.

His comments come after a week of tension between France and Britain over how to take care of minors after bulldozers flattened the camp that had been home to about 6,000 refugees and migrants.

"I talked yesterday with the British prime minister, as [French Interior Minister] Bernard Cazeneuve did with his British counterpart, so that the British can go to those centres with those minors and take their share [of responsibility] to welcome them in Britain."

Hollande said there were 1,500 unaccompanied minors, who would be transferred to reception centres.

The French declared the 'Jungle' cleared this week with migrants taken to relocation centres around the country.

Hollande, speaking in western France after visiting one of the 450 reception centres set up to welcome Calais migrants, said a sprawling camp in northeastern Paris would also be dismantled and those eligible for asylum sent to those same shelters.

The French declared the 'Jungle' cleared this week Credit: Reuters

There are some 2,000-2,500 sleeping in tents in the northeast Paris camps, up from around 1,500 before Calais started being dismantled, a local official told Reuters on Friday.

"We will carry out the same operation as in Calais," Hollande said. "We will evacuate the Paris camps," he said.

Hollande said most of the newcomers in the Paris camps did not come from Calais but from a new wave of arrivals via Libya.

His comments come two days after Home Secretary Amber Rudd reminded French authorities of their duty to "properly protect" children, amid reports that youngsters were forced to sleep rough around the smouldering remains of the camp.